Seneca the Younger Biography

Seneca the Younger, Statesman
Born asLucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger
Known asSeneca
Occup.Statesman
FromRome
Born5 BC
Córdoba, Hispania Baetica (now Spain)
Died65 AC
Rome
Early Life
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, also called Seneca the Younger, was born in Corduba (now Cordoba, Spain) around 4 BC, although some sources claim he was born in Rome. His father, Seneca the Elder, was a popular orator and teacher of rhetoric, while his mother, Helvia, was from a popular and wealthy household.

Seneca had 2 brothers, Lucius Annaeus Novatus (later embraced by the Roman politician Marcus Junius Gallio) and Annaeus Mela. They were all sent to Rome for their education, where Seneca the Younger studied rhetoric, approach, and law under different teachers, notably Sextii, the founder of a popular philosophical school.

Philosophical and Literary Career
Seneca became attracted to the philosophy of Stoicism, which highlighted the value of self-control, factor, and discipline for keeping a virtuous life. While in his twenties, Seneca began a successful career as a statesman, orator, and author. He also became a senator and taken part in political disputes at the Roman Senate.

Seneca wrote numerous letters, essays, and disasters. Many of his works such as "De Vita Beata" and "Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium" discuss a large range of philosophical issues, including ethics, ethical values, and the significance of life. Some of his well-known significant works consist of the tragedies "Hercules Furens", "Thyestes", and "Phaedra", which were understood for their ethical undertones and strong feelings.

Exile and Return
In AD 41, Seneca ended up being involved in a political scandal and was implicated of adultery with the emperor's sis, Julia Livilla. Though the charges were likely false, Emperor Caligula exiled Seneca to the island of Corsica. Throughout his exile, Seneca continued to compose on viewpoint and corresponded of consolation to his household, who had actually remained in Rome.

In AD 49, Seneca was remembered to Rome by the brand-new emperor, Claudius, and his spouse, Empress Agrippina the Younger. It is extensively believed that it was the empress who pushed for Seneca's return so that he may tutor her kid, the young Nero. As an outcome, Seneca got the title of praetor and resumed his position as an essential statesman in Rome.

Tutoring Nero and Political Involvement
As Nero's tutor, Seneca tried to instill in him the concepts of Stoicism, which he hoped would assist Nero's guideline. Regrettably, Nero ended up being significantly unsteady and promiscuous as he aged.

Seneca took on a significantly political role in this time, functioning as Nero's advisor, writing speeches, and trying to keep Nero's habits in check. He played a crucial function in preserving relations with the provinces, handling finances, and producing laws. Nevertheless, his influential position likewise made him a target for court intrigue and criticism.

Retirement and Final Years
In AD 62, Seneca chose to retire from public life, specifying that he wished to commit himself to philosophy. This decision most likely came from his growing disillusionment with Nero's despotic guideline. He retired to a vacation home outside Rome, where he focused on his writing and continued to correspond with his friends about philosophical topics.

His retirement was short-lived, as Seneca was linked in the Pisonian conspiracy versus Nero in AD 65. Although it stays unsure whether Seneca was really involved in the plot, Nero ordered him to commit suicide. Seneca calmly accepted his fate and fulfilled his death with stoic dignity, in a scene that has been commemorated in numerous artistic works. His partner, Pompeia Paulina, tried to dedicate suicide together with him, but she was conserved by Nero's command.

Tradition
Seneca the Younger's contributions to viewpoint, drama, and statesmanship have left a long lasting impact on Western idea and culture. His works continued to be commonly read and studied in the centuries following his death, and his ideas influenced numerous thinkers, consisting of Renaissance humanists such as Erasmus and Montaigne. Today, Seneca is thought about among the terrific Roman Stoic theorists and his works continue to be studied and valued for their exploration of human nature, ethics, and the mission for a meaningful life.

Our collection contains 126 quotes who is written / told by Seneca, under the main topics: Art - Death - Anger - Health - Men.

Related authors: Publilius Syrus (Poet), Michel de Montaigne (Philosopher), Seneca (Philosopher), Menander (Poet), Claudius (Leader), Junius , Marcus Valerius Martial (Poet), Philo (Philosopher), Wes Bentley (Actor), Alain de Botton (Writer)

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126 Famous quotes by Seneca the Younger

Small: Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk
"Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk"
Small: Health is the soul that animates all the enjoyments of life, which fade and are tasteless without it
"Health is the soul that animates all the enjoyments of life, which fade and are tasteless without it"
Small: Crime when it succeeds is called virtue
"Crime when it succeeds is called virtue"
Small: Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing
"Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing"
Small: Success is not greedy, as people think, but insignificant. That is why it satisfies nobody
"Success is not greedy, as people think, but insignificant. That is why it satisfies nobody"
Small: If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable
"If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable"
Small: The wish for healing has always been half of health
"The wish for healing has always been half of health"
Small: Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war
"Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war"
Small: For greed all nature is too little
"For greed all nature is too little"
Small: He has committed the crime who profits by it
"He has committed the crime who profits by it"
Small: A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts
"A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts"
Small: Ignorant people see life as either existence or non-existence, but wise men see it beyond both existenc
"Ignorant people see life as either existence or non-existence, but wise men see it beyond both existence and non-existence to something that transcends them both; this is an observation of the Middle Way"
Small: Successful and fortunate crime is called virtue
"Successful and fortunate crime is called virtue"
Small: The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity
"The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity"
Small: The less we deserve good fortune, the more we hope for it
"The less we deserve good fortune, the more we hope for it"
Small: True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future
"True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future"
Small: That which is given with pride and ostentation is rather an ambition than a bounty
"That which is given with pride and ostentation is rather an ambition than a bounty"
Small: All art is but imitation of nature
"All art is but imitation of nature"
Small: A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials
"A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials"
Small: A sword never kills anybody it is a tool in the killers hand
"A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand"
Small: Expecting is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today
"Expecting is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today"
Small: Believe me, that was a happy age, before the days of architects, before the days of builders
"Believe me, that was a happy age, before the days of architects, before the days of builders"
Small: Constant exposure to dangers will breed contempt for them
"Constant exposure to dangers will breed contempt for them"
Small: I dont trust liberals, I trust conservatives
"I don't trust liberals, I trust conservatives"
Small: The bad fortune of the good turns their faces up to heaven the good fortune of the bad bows their heads
"The bad fortune of the good turns their faces up to heaven; the good fortune of the bad bows their heads down to the earth"
Small: The way is long if one follows precepts, but short... if one follows patterns
"The way is long if one follows precepts, but short... if one follows patterns"
Small: There is as much greatness of mind in acknowledging a good turn, as in doing it
"There is as much greatness of mind in acknowledging a good turn, as in doing it"
Small: When I think over what I have said, I envy dumb people
"When I think over what I have said, I envy dumb people"
Small: Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity
"Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity"
Small: One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood
"One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood"
Small: Life, if well lived, is long enough
"Life, if well lived, is long enough"
Small: Life is warfare
"Life is warfare"
Small: Life is the fire that burns and the sun that gives light. Life is the wind and the rain and the thunder
"Life is the fire that burns and the sun that gives light. Life is the wind and the rain and the thunder in the sky. Life is matter and is earth, what is and what is not, and what beyond is in Eternity"
Small: Let us train our minds to desire what the situation demands
"Let us train our minds to desire what the situation demands"
Small: Its not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. Its because we dare not venture that the
"It's not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It's because we dare not venture that they are difficult"
Small: It makes a great deal of difference whether one wills not to sin or has not the knowledge to sin
"It makes a great deal of difference whether one wills not to sin or has not the knowledge to sin"
Small: It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness
"It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness"
Small: In war, when a commander becomes so bereft of reason and perspective that he fails to understand the de
"In war, when a commander becomes so bereft of reason and perspective that he fails to understand the dependence of arms on Divine guidance, he no longer deserves victory"
Small: In war there is no prize for runner-up
"In war there is no prize for runner-up"
Small: One must steer, not talk
"One must steer, not talk"
Small: One crime has to be concealed by another
"One crime has to be concealed by another"
Small: Nothing is void of God, his work is everywhere his full of himself
"Nothing is void of God, his work is everywhere his full of himself"
Small: Nothing is so wretched or foolish as to anticipate misfortunes. What madness is it to be expecting evil
"Nothing is so wretched or foolish as to anticipate misfortunes. What madness is it to be expecting evil before it comes"
Small: Nothing becomes so offensive so quickly as grief. When fresh it finds someone to console it, but when i
"Nothing becomes so offensive so quickly as grief. When fresh it finds someone to console it, but when it becomes chronic, it is ridiculed, and rightly"
Small: Love in its essence is spiritual fire
"Love in its essence is spiritual fire"
Small: Light troubles speak the weighty are struck dumb
"Light troubles speak; the weighty are struck dumb"
Small: Lifes like a play: its not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters
"Life's like a play: it's not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters"
Small: When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his co
"When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy"
Small: Whatever one of us blames in another, each one will find in his own heart
"Whatever one of us blames in another, each one will find in his own heart"
Small: Whatever is well said by another, is mine
"Whatever is well said by another, is mine"
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